War driven costs and opportunities

Transshipment surges at Karachi Port, clean energy shift gains pace amid ME conflict Components of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) and French Navy frigate FS Languedoc (D 653) transit the Strait of Hormuz on November 25, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS KARACHI: The US-Iran war and the consequential…

Read More

PSX subdued ahead of SBP monetary policy decision

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a subdued trading session on Monday as investors remained cautious ahead of the highly anticipated monetary policy announcement by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened on a dull note and continued to trade in a narrow range, reflecting a clear wait-and-see approach across…

Read More

Can solar save textile industry?

Policy tweaks, particularly shift to net billing, impeding further solar adoption APTMA has been constantly blaming the FBR for its lack of commitment in implementing the agreement it signed with the textile industry regarding the resumption of zero-rated tax regime. PHOTO: FILE FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s textile sector, the backbone of its export economy, is once again…

Read More

Backchannel diplomacy expands across region

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warmly receives Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Islamabad. Photo: app ISLAMABAD: Despite no immediate prospects of direct talks between Iran and the United States, diplomacy remains very much alive, as a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity suggests a serious push to seek a permanent end to the war,…

Read More

Spring meetings in US and economic autumn in Pakistan

Islamabad finds itself positioned between much-needed infusion of regional liquidity and looming global energy crisis The government has agreed to the need for a mini-budget if revenues fall short of expectations by end-December 2025, according to the IMF. Photo: file ISLAMABAD: The conclusion of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and…

Read More

FCC move on K-P May 9 cases under scrutiny

ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Prosecution Department has yet to move an application in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) seeking withdrawal of the May 9 cases, one of which includes K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi as an accused. The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), while hearing Radio Pakistan’s petition on March 24, passed a restraining order regarding…

Read More

Pakistan’s oil market is fuelling the crisis

Govt must let prices reflect costs and replace blanket subsidies with targeted cash support Kerosene oil. ISLAMABAD: When war returns to the Middle East, oil stops being a commodity and becomes a headline. The latest bout of conflict has again injected fear into energy markets, lifted freight and insurance costs, and pushed crude benchmarks upward….

Read More